As one of those whom Peter 'taught everything they know', I recognise the description of him in his family's tribute.

According to this "Guardian" article by Michael Savage, "The Archers" move to a purpose-built theatre has been cancelled due to the inevitable cuts.

"BBC to stop recording The Archers in Birmingham for first time in its 75-year history
Plans for a new theatre for world’s longest-running soap in Digbeth scrapped as part of cost-cutting measures"


More here.

A friend to many at LBH and Bush House, Oliver Scott died in hospital on 3 June 2026. He was 81. In the late 1970s he was recruited to Radio 4’s Financial World Tonight by editor Vincent Duggleby. Originally a sport producer he’d “invented” FWT and was adept at spotting and bringing on new talent even if they had little knowledge of broadcasting. The 15 minute programme went out at 11.15 pm just before Today in Parliament. In the days before wall to wall business coverage, despite its late hour, FWT developed a strong “niche” audience.

I was a relatively new studio manager and must have first come across Ollie in 6C, the small FWT studio behind the lifts in the core of BH. Despite having a strong journalistic background he was a “radio virgin” and had only been instructed how to operate a Uher to gather interviews. He therefore needed an sm to edit his tapes. Thus we got to know each other as did many other sms of that period.

In those days there were still echoes of the old upper, middle and lower class system in the way BH worked, as reflected in the famous John Cleese and two Ronnies sketch on The Frost Report. As sms we “knew our place” and given his guardman’s height, educational background and “toff” sounding accent you might have expected Ollie to live up to his “officer class” status.

The complete opposite was the case. In the first part of the day he would persuade City grandees and politicians to come to the microphone, later he would readily join the sms, and even Control Room technical operators, for “refreshments” in the Hat and Stick or the Yorkshire Grey. He invited many of us to a garden party at his home in west London. The alcohol was free flowing and included lethal shots of spirits. “Riotous” might be the headline. Needless to say an ambulance was called after somebody fell over and banged their head. I’ve never touched aquavit since.

Ollie was never “staff.” He was always a freelance. After graduating to present FWT, with an eager young Will Hutton now on the team, he moved as a reporter to the World Tonight and also did shifts on Newsbeat for editor Alan Ashton, aka Badger. Few had the breadth to combine the two. Whilst on the day tightly edited Newsbeat items were never much longer than 1’30, the R4 sequence could accommodate tailor made packages well over 10 minutes in length. I know he was particulary proud of a series of reports during the miners’ strike in 1984. Despatched to South Yorkshire he was able to charm a group of NUM diehards and stayed with their families, no mean feat given their fierce animosity to London based correspondents.

Ollie’s first editor at the World Tonight was Alastair Osborne who ran a relaxed regime with hospitality available from a well stocked drinks cabinet in his 4th floor office. For an hour or so, after the pubs around BH closed for the night, it became a social hub for colleagues. Known as The Osborne those in the know would finish their last pint and say: "I think I'll finish off the evening with one in The Osborne.” Ollie was one of the regulars.

In 1985 there was a day long BBC and ITN strike, over the ban of the Real Lives Northern Ireland documentary, which Ollie took part in as an NUJ member. He was amongst those who persuaded the landlord of the Yorkshire Grey to allow a “lock-in, so we could nip round the corner from BH to take breaks from picketing duty. Thirsts slaked we returned to express our displeasure at Maggie Thatcher.

Not long after this Ollie set up a company, along with his sm friend Chris Cox, to make audio programmes for City institutions. Long before the rise of podcasting Vox Communications’ output was recorded on tape, then mass copied onto audio cassettes before being sent in the post to clients and prospective customers. Unit trust companies were their main target and they were busiest on Budget Day. They also made a regular business news show as part of the offering on Cathay Pacific flights.

Parallel to this Ollie began presenting editions of Newshour at Bush House where he was to remain for the rest of his career. It was perhaps here that his skills as a linguist came into their own, gained by studying French and German at Oxford, followed by his first job in journalism at the Travel Trade Gazette in Brussels and then ten years as a Reuters correspondent, in Europe and Washington.

His professionalism on air is remembered still by many of those he worked with and in the archives there must be reams of recordings of his output. Little has found its way online though apart from a phone-in he did with Mrs. Thatcher a few months before her downfall in 1990. Listening back it’s refreshing to hear that he lets Thatcher answer the questions in detail without interruption and resists any temptation to insert his own opinions into the exchanges between her and the listeners.  

At Bush he presented for the business unit and for many years was the main voice on the World Today. In its heyday there were three editions broadcast overnight in London to morning audiences in the far and near east, then Europe. He was on duty in the early hours of 31 August 1997 when Princess Diana died and it was he who broke the news on the World Service. In quiet moments he hacked out on the typewriter a memorable series about office ups and downs. It was called called Love Amongst the Razor Blades.

In 2005, as new presenters were brought in, Oliver was suddenly “let go.” Characteristically his leaving do was held one early morning from 6 am in the bar at Smithfield Market, a regular venue after a run of night shifts. A little later he wrote: “I'm no longer with the BBC and except in terms of personal friendships don't have anything to do with it any more. They showed me the door when I was 60. But I was also falling out of fashion by then. I'm not bitter. I did it for 25 years which is long enough for anyone. And when I left I was the best known voice in the entire history of the BBC World Service, that's as measured by time on air. And what other plausible yardstick is there?”

Oliver Edmund Allardice Scott was born in Edinburgh on Friday 1 December 1944.

His father was John Dick Scott (1917 - 1980) from a long established Lanarkshire family with roots in Lesmahagow. (Ollie’s paternal grandfather was Alexander Scott who married Margaret Gourley Allardice from Rutherglen. After training, Alexander was elected an associate member of the Institute of Civil Engineers in 1910. He initially worked for the Lanarkshire County Council.)

John D. Scott was educated at the University of Edinburgh where he took an honours degree in history. He moved to London in the 1930s, became Assistant Principal at the Ministry of Aircraft Production during the Second World War and was involved with the development of the Lancaster bomber. In 1944 he joined the Cabinet Office as an official war historian.

Oliver’s mother was Helen Elisabeth Whittaker (1916 - 2003), a daughter of Sir Edmund Taylor Whittaker, Professor of Mathematics at Edinburgh University, between 1912 and 1946.

John Dick Scott and Helen Elisabeth Whittaker met at Edinburgh University. She then followed him to London and also had a job with the Civil Service. They married “quietly” at Christ Church, Woburn Square at the start of June 1941 and lived in a top floor flat on Duke Street in the St. James’s area, hence the decision for her to give birth to Ollie in an Edinburgh nursing home far from the potential of German bombs and doodlebugs.

After a few weeks she returned to London and Oliver spent his first months in the care of the Whittaker nanny, Cambridgeshire born Frances Emily Chapman, who had been with the family since the early 1900s. After the war she came with him to London and they lived in Bayswater where a second son, Timothy, was born in 1949. Both boys spent a lot of time with Nanny Sa, as they called her, and kept in touch with her until her death. After the war Helen Scott worked in publishing and it is said that, as a child, Ollie referred to her as: “the lady who worked upstairs.”

Oliver Scott went first to The Hall School in Belsize Park, and from the age of 13 his secondary education was at Westminster School next to Westminster Abbey. He was initially a day boy, then a boarder, and a member of Rigaud’s House. This was maybe the place where he developed his interest in English church architecture and in later life wherever he went he visited local churches.

It was during his school days that he became a fan of Chelsea Football Club – a lifelong passion. This came about after Chelsea were crowned champions when they won the First Division at the end of the 1954/55 season and he met Chelsea midfielder Len Casey at a summer camp. Ollie developed and nurtured friendships wherever he stood or sat at Stamford Bridge or where he chose for his pre and post match entertainment.

In 1963 Ollie’s parents went to live in America where his father became the editor of the World Bank's periodical Finance and Development. He went to visit them when he was about 19 years old, travelling, not by air, but on an old fashioned Cunard style liner. On board, in true Titanic fashion, he wooed an American girl and they were caught in one of the lifeboats. They were hauled in front of the captain who gave them a dressing down. Turning to Ollie he said: “I don't expect manners from her. She is American. But you are a British gentleman. You should know better!”

Oliver Scott married twice. First to Berit Hanssen, a Norwegan who was working at NATO in Brussels when they met. With her he had a daughter, Millicent. Later he had a son, Jack, and twins Eleanor (Elle) and Isobel (Bibi) with magazine journalist Sarah Touquet.
An edited version of this was published in Prospero, October 2026.
Howard Benson

Hi Paul   No unfortunately I haven't seen one.  I did try on a number of places but no luck.  As I'm sure you have seen most other courses are there, so why no TA32???

Alan

The death of Mark Doyle, a BBC correspondent in many African countries over several decades, was announced on 22 September 2026 by Paul Danahar, head of BBC International News:

"I’m extremely sad to say that Mark Doyle, who was not only a friend and colleague to many of us but one of the best journalists to ever work in Africa has died after a short illness.

He was a legendary figure during his time as the BBC's West Africa correspondent. That is captured in the piece Andrew Harding wrote about him when he left the organisation in 2015 and which I’ve linked too below. It’s really worth a read.

Mark was a brilliant, brave, empathetic reporter. I worked with him for several years covering the conflict in Sierra Leone. He taught me a lot, his mere presence kept us all safe in what was a brutal civil war. He was just a fantastic, funny, clever person to be around."

David Bamford, a long-time BBC World Service Africa correspondent, adds:

"Shocking news. He was a good friend in the 90s, my predecessor in Lagos and successor in Abidjan. A very brave journalist, most notably in Sierra Leone and Rwanda."

Has anyone any contact details for Peter Gallimore, ex editor in BBC News, now living in Duffield, Derbyshire?   A mutual friend would like to get in touch with him.

Ex-bbcstaff members (indeed, everyone) are cordially invited to two free broadcasting history events taking place on 29 September and 4 October as part of the Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded project Re-viewing LGBTQ+ Lives through Broadcasting in Twentieth-century Britain.

1. AIDS Broadcasting and Gay Campaigning in the Eighties
1800-2000 on Tuesday 29 September 2026
In person at Loughborough University London, Room 2.05, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London E20 3BS and online via Teams (https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/396443240009800?p=g75pXDqWdo75qIGH8b). Those attending in-person should book tickets in advance at https://www.outsavvy.com/event/38910/aids-broadcasting-and-gay-campaigning-in-th... as space is limited.

The HIV/AIDS crisis transformed the relationship between gay men, pressure groups, broadcasters and the government in 1980s Britain. This witness seminar will hear from four men who shaped and observed this transformation:
Keith Howes (then at Gay News and Capital Gay)
Julian Meldrum (Capital Gay and Hall-Carpenter Archives)
Martin Weaver (Terrence Higgins Trust)
Sir Nick Partridge (Terrence Higgins Trust)
Audience members are encouraged to share their experiences of the 1980s and to reflect upon subsequent media coverage of LGBTQ+ issues. The seminar is accompanied by a pop-up exhibition showcasing interviews collected by the National HIV Story Trust.

2.  Who Was Seen? Diversity & Equality in 20th-century Broadcasting
1200-1600 on Sunday 4 October 2026
Creativity Pavilion, Alexandra Palace, London N22 7AY
Email marcus.collins@lboro.ac.uk for free tickets to this event

At noon, Prof Marcus Collins will talk about ‘Sex and the BBC: The Moral Foundations of Public-service Broadcasting in 20th-century Britain’.
At 1pm, Stephen Bourne will talk about ‘A Sort of Magic: Black Contributors and Creators on Pre-war BBC Television’.
From 2-4pm, there is a panel discussion explores the history of lesbian and gay broadcasting in 20th-century television, alongside wider conversations about representation, diversity and public-service broadcasting during the BBC’s formative years. Panel members include:
Stephen Bourne (author of Playing Gay in the Golden Age of British TV and the forthcoming Thursday’s Child)
Keith Howes (Gay News television critic and author of Broadcasting It)
Jane Traies (Research Associate at University of Sussex and author of The Lives and Experiences of Lesbians over 60 in the UK)

Tickets for the 4 October event are ordinarily £5-15 but I can provide a limited number of complimentary tickets. Simply email me at marcus.collins@lboro.ac.uk with the names and email addresses of those who wish to attend.

Don’t hesitate to contact me with queries about either event – and feel free to spread the word!

Marcus

Prof of British History
Loughborough University
marcus.collins@lboro.ac.uk

Is anybody still in touch with Jimmy Monks please, once Prop-Boy, then Grips? A couple of questions have cropped up that he may be able to answer. Thank you.

Hello Howard.

Although not on your list, I too was one of those 'Inmates' of LCR. Your period in LCR coincided with me working on recording stereo cartridges (outside of LCR) and subsequently working in Radio 2. That explains our not coming across each other. I returned to work in LCR in 1983, remaining there until I transferred to BBC Technology in 1996, to commission Stage 6.

The closure of Radio Networks (who's staff were the TOs who ran the Control Room and the Continuities) in 1987/8 was brought about by the coming of computerisation and technologies which would ultimately replace most of the manual operations which kept LCR in business.

The Uniselectors were on their last legs by the late 80s, and BT's 'Permanent Circuits' were then being supplied over digital trunks; TV's requirements for audio circuits was markedly reduced by permanent connections bypassing BH ... so something major had to be done! Birt-ism was about to strike the BBC as a whole, like it or not.

A change in Departmental Management saw Roy Rogers (H.E.R.N) post closed and the four TOMs (George Mowlem, [Johnnie Bradburn], John Rich, Ted Atkinson, Vince Hills and Robbie Roberts reduced to just two - Dick Oldman and Tony Giles.
Then the four shift ATOMs at that stage (including Ian Favell, Dick Oldman, Denis Borrow, and Frank Mines) were replaced by a 'different form', with Roy Clifford, Brian Roberts, Colin Prior and Ian Favell . Incidentally Colin Prior went on to become Head of the entire BBC OB Unit (TV & Radio), retiring in the early 2000s to set up a business fitting kitchens!!

Anyway, that arrangement didn't really last long: Roy Honey's position (Manager Ops, London Station) was closed, and the department was - albeit for a brief time! - run by Dick Oldman and Tony Giles, working to Iain McCraw (from TS,R)
George Legg (who'd been Manger Ops for Radio OBs) had taken over the newly reorganised department [Radio Resources] which included Tech Services (R), Radio Networks and Studio Managers. London Control Room staff (of whom there were over 120!) were then offered 3 choices: they could either transfer to Studio Managers (News or Group 5 predominantly). retrain as Engineers or take redundancy.

I seem to recall that thirteen TOs opted to retrain (myself included!), perhaps 90+ staff chose to move over to SMs, and perhaps 14 or so opted to take redundancy. There was, however, a small wrinkle for those who chose to take redundancy in that they would need to remain working in LCR keeping operations going whilst those who'd opted to retrain as engineers could be 'trained'. Also they would work alongside the engineers from one of the TS(R) groups who would become the mainstay of what would replace LCR. There were also five new posts created - Broadcast Duty Managers - who reported directly to  George Legg - Dick Oldman, Roy Clifford, Brian Roberts, Tony Giles and Dusty Miller (from SMs). Even before they took up posts, Tony Giles was given responsibility for running the "newly computer-assisted Control Room" so Mike Todd took up his position as a BDM. [My most recent information is that Barry Jones and Mark Ekiert have both retired as BDMs when New BH was completed and TV moved into the building. I learned this at Alan Short's funeral in 2023.]

That was pretty much the situation, at least until they pulled down BH Ext, BH XX (which had been built an top of the Stronghold, where the carpark was) as well as Egton House, to build the "New BH" of today. [I should add that there was a form of LCR working on the 3rd floor of old BH from when BH Ext was pulled down until New BH CAR was set up.]   

As for the people, I can tell you that Martin Ffoulkes, Malcolm Dearlove, Nick Hartree, Jim Breen, Vic Lewis, Algy Longworth, Ralph Jordan, Frank Crombie, Ted Atkinson, Mike Baines, Roy Clifford, Alan Short, Frank Mines and Vince Hills are all definitely deceased, with George Mowlem, John Bradbury, Robbie Roberts and Roy Honey also being "very likely" to have passed away by now. (i.e. Unfortunately, and in spite of the internet, I've lost all contact with them!). There are several others that you've not referred to (like John Daniels) ... but the list is undoubtedly considerably longer!

Anne Elliot, John Herbert, Jim Breen, Vic Lewis, Pete Page and Pete 'Penge' Davies all took the redundancy option. Steve Webb and Pete Newbury had both become engineers a few years earlier (Steve went to work as an engineer at Radio London, while Pete went to SCPD where he eventually became the lead engineer in the rebuilding project of the computer-assisted "Engineering Operations Centre"(!). He subsequently had an illustrious career building TV Studios for the likes of Al Jazzera!); Eric Wisbey had become an engineer in SCPD and Arthur Westwood had left LCR many years earlier for other employment: TTBOMK Paul Fournier went back to Canada. Pete Laugalis and Steve Wiseman went to work at Thames TV; Dan Damon became a broadcast journalist in'82 (and with his wife Sian) spent seven years filming the downfall of the Soviet Union throughout Eastern Europe! He then returned to the BBC to work as a presenter and reporter for BBC World Service and BBC Radio 4. For reasons unknown he's not been heard broadcasting since 2020; Mike Todd and Brian Roberts both retired as BDMs; Phil Hughes became Head of Radio 2 Music Programmes (although he's now retired!); Wynne Davies left to go the Swansea Sound (he was working as an IT Consultant in '95, but then changed to become a music teacher in 2005); Malcolm Stokes went to Radio OBs; Clive Williamson left to become an author of computing books (as well as a Musician with his South American wife, if memory serves!); Tony Life took on responsibility for some internal computer systems, and Steve Dodds continued as an SM - both retired relatively recently after their years!
Neil Espley has retired to Cyprus; Barry Ainsworth opted to retrain as an engineer, but unfortunately was made redundant a couple of years later when further staff cuts were required as a result of Birt-ism. Tony Giles continues to live in Bishops Stortford whilst Dick Oldman remains living in Wickford, after suffering a bout of throat cancer (both are obviously long retired!).
I've done my best to keep abreast of what happens to most old TOs and this reflects the best information I have. I hope I've covered most events factually correct! and that I've not marked someone as passed when they haven't!!

Sad to learn this news.Eugene was truly an amazing person. His charm, sense of humour and kindness were legendary. He was simply unique. His scrapes and escapades were renowned. I was a young technical operator in London control room in th 1970s. This was a civilised era to work in and all staff were entitled to regular meal breaks. One evening during the Radio 4 continuity shift, Eugene was the duty announcer. On his break, he said jokingly to me "do you fancy a pint?". I brushed the remark aside as a joke. However, an hour later, wearing a large overcoat, when opened, revealed a freshly poured pint of beer that he'd managed to smuggle past the commisionaires. He truly was a one-off, the likes of which we'll never see again. I am sure many others have similar stories. You brought sunshine into our lives.   Howard Dartnall, Technical Operator 1974-1980.